Prayers for 2014



We have turned the page on the calendar.  A new year has begun.  For some 2014 will build on the successes of 2013.  For others 2014 offers hopes for a new beginning.  On this first day of the New Year, as we look forward to the adventure that awaits us, I would invite you to join me in a prayer for the year coming.

I pray as a Christian, as a follower of Jesus Christ.  I would invite all to join me in prayer, recognizing that you might come to prayer from a different vantage point than do I.

Gracious and ever loving God,
I come this first day of the new year to give thanks for the opportunities that lie before us.  For some of us, the past year has been difficult.  For them, I pray that they might look forward with a new sense of hope.  For those who found 2013 to be a time of blessing, I pray that these blessings might be carried forward into the new year, so as to bring blessings on others.
In my prayers, I come seeking your justice for all people.  May the divisions that plague us be dissolved.  May bridges be built across the chasms that divide us, that keep us from bringing hope to the hopeless, joy to the joyless.
I pray for governments, from local to national -- in this land and elsewhere, that those called to leadership will focus on the needs of all people, and not just their supporters. 
I pray for this region of South East Michigan.  With the Detroit bankruptcy, we have a renewed opportunity to heal the divide between city and suburbs.  May our hearts move past old battles and seek a new day of cooperation and blessing for the entire region. 
Recognizing that this region is increasingly diverse ethnically and religiously, I pray that we can celebrate this diversity, welcoming the other into our lives, knowing that our lives are enriched when let down the guard and welcome others into our lives. 
Looking farther out across the world, I pray for those who are caught in cycles of poverty, dependency, and war.  May we who live in this land of plenty be circumspect about the ways in which we might be complicit in these challenges to human dignity.
Again, looking globally, I pray that we would recognize our responsibility to be good stewards of the gift of our environment.  How we tread upon this earth, using the resources that are present can either lead to exploitation or renewal.  I pray that we would have the wisdom to choose renewal over exploitation for the good of all.
Most of all, I pray that you would fill each of us with the spirit of love of neighbor, so that in all things we might share the love with which you have loved us.  
As we move forward into this new year may we know the blessings of friendship, family, and fellowship with you. 
Amen

Reposted from Troy Patch 

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